Early morning.
The charcoal fire in the hearth had long since burned out, leaving only a layer of grayish-white ash and a lingering, faint warmth.
The old wooden bed was a complete mess. Thanks to the long and intense shaking from the night before, one leg had tilted entirely, and the frame was pressed firmly against the cold mud wall to keep from collapsing.
Kozuki Toki lay on Caine's chest, her breathing steady as it rose and fell with his own.
Her signature long green hair was a tangled disaster, with several strands stuck to her smooth forehead by dried sweat.
On her bare back, which was exposed to the biting morning air, several crisscrossing red marks were especially eye-catching.
This was the most peaceful and defenseless sleep she had enjoyed since waking up from that absurd and mad nightmare involving Kozuki Oden.
The gray, defeated look of a widow from a fallen nation that had previously clouded her face was long gone. The charm she exuded now, after being thoroughly nourished and finding a new person to rely on, had completely changed her temperament.
It only took one night.
Caine had not only rightfully slept with the wife of Kozuki Oden but had also made the victim view the act as a great salvation for all living beings. With just a few calculated words, he had completely turned Kozuki Toki into his exclusive property.
Caine leaned against the headboard with one hand pillowed behind his head.
His other hand gently stroked down the length of Kozuki Toki's slender spine.
He stared up at the blackened roof beams, calculating his next big move in his mind.
Winning over Kozuki Toki and gaining 150,000 Disciplinary Points was merely an appetizer for him.
He had gone through all the trouble of infiltrating this isolated, lawless land alone because he wanted to take the entire Wano Country for himself.
"Madam," Caine suddenly spoke.
The delicate body lying on his chest twitched slightly at the sound of his voice.
Kozuki Toki was in no hurry to open her eyes. Instead, like a little girl who had developed an extreme dependency on him, she instinctively rubbed her cheek against the man's firm pectoral muscles and let out a faint, seductive moan.
After a short while, she slowly looked up at him. A large, charming blush instantly spread from the base of her ears down to her neck.
"Lord Admiral..." she whispered, her voice sounding dry from the intensity of the previous night.
"Call me Caine. Since everything has already happened, we do not need those formal titles between us anymore."
Caine lowered his head slightly and gently tucked a strand of messy hair behind her ear.
His fingertips lightly caressed her reddened lips, his eyes showing a perfectly timed hint of affection.
Kozuki Toki's nose tingled, and her eyes instantly filled with tears of relief.
She nodded vigorously and wrapped her arms tightly around the man's muscular arm, clearly fearing that he might suddenly disappear.
"Cai... Caine..." She bit her lower lip, as if she had made a massive resolution, and finally called out his name.
The corner of Caine's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc as he moved to the main topic. "Kaido is entrenched in Wano Country, aggressively recruiting troops and building an arms factory in Kuri."
His tone was steady and persuasive.
"His ambition does not stop there. He must be secretly looking for something else."
Caine's brow furrowed slightly, perfectly hiding his own greed behind a mask of compassion for the world. "Madam, as the matriarch of the Kozuki Clan, tell me, is there some kind of dangerous taboo buried in this land that is enough to threaten the balance of the sea?"
Hearing this, Kozuki Toki immediately propped up her upper body.
The cold wind outside blew in through the cracks in the window, hitting her bare skin, but she had no intention of covering up. She no longer had any secrets from this hero who had saved her, even at the cost of a Marine disciplinary punishment.
"There is," Kozuki Toki answered quickly, her eyes clear and honest.
"The ancestors of the Kozuki Clan were Stone Masons. Within Wano Country, there is a red Road Poneglyph."
Kozuki Toki looked at Caine and said solemnly, "That is the landmark to the Final Island, Laugh Tale, which all pirates on the sea dream of finding."
Listening to her words, Caine remained calm on the surface, but he was laughing wildly inside.
He naturally knew that Wano Country had this red stone. But as an outsider, if he had to dig through this massive island to find it, it would take forever. Now, it was perfect. He had won over the Kozuki matriarch, saving him the trouble of searching for the stone's hiding place. He could just pack it up and take it away.
While wild joy surged like a tsunami inside him, the expression on Caine's face turned into one of deep sorrow.
"A stone is just a dead object after all."
Caine deliberately let out a long sigh and feigned a deep thought. "An ordinary man is innocent, but possessing a treasure makes him a target! A broken stone has attracted these greedy wolves of the Beasts Pirates. But in the end, those who suffer are the innocent people in the quarries who cannot even get enough food to eat!"
She looked at Caine's face, which seemed so full of pity for the common people, and her heart beat rapidly.
How could she allow such a man of noble character to suffer in distress?
She decided she would reveal the Kozuki family's deepest secret to pave the way for her man.
"Caine."
Kozuki Toki cupped the man's handsome face with both hands, pulling him closer until their breaths touched.
"The Poneglyph is just the tip of the iceberg. Wano Country's true secret is not on land, but at the bottom of the sea."
Caine raised one eyebrow and let out a curious sound.
"Oh?"
Kozuki Toki lowered her voice. "The towering waterfalls surrounding Wano Country are thought by the outside world to be natural barriers."
"But in fact, they are not a natural defense at all. They are a shackle!"
"800 years ago, the ancestors of the Kozuki family intentionally closed off the country and built high walls, allowing endless rainwater to completely submerge the ancient land."
"And in the deepest part of those ruins, there sleeps a warship capable of destroying the world!"
Kozuki Toki's breathing quickened as she spoke the name.
"The Ancient Weapon... Pluton! The world is more accustomed to calling it—Pluton!"
"A single shot can level an island. It is the most vicious killing machine on this sea!"
As her voice fell, Caine's fist, resting under the covers, suddenly clenched tight.
He had hooked her.
As long as he got the coordinates of Pluton and dived to the seabed to analyze its core, he would be one step closer to stepping into the domain of the gods and completely overturning this world ruled by the Celestial Dragons.
While his internal ambition erupted like a volcano, Caine's expression instantly darkened with fake anger.
[Bang!]
He suddenly slapped the broken edge of the bed with his palm, making the old wood crack loudly.
"Absurd!" he rebuked sharply, his tone full of rage. "If a warmonger like Kaido were to get his hands on Pluton, the entire world would be plunged into a bloodbath! Countless civilians would lose their homes! Such a terrifying weapon must never see the light of day!"
Kozuki Toki was awestruck by this display of integrity, and her feelings of admiration surged in her chest.
She suddenly threw off the quilt and stepped barefoot onto the dusty, cold floor, walking quickly toward the dilapidated table at the other end of the room.
She rummaged through her personal bundle for a piece of charcoal and pulled out a piece of yellowed parchment.
The woman bent over, completely unconcerned about her nakedness, and lay across the tabletop to write.
The tip of the charcoal rubbed quickly against the parchment, making a fine rustling sound.
Complex undercurrent directions, deep-sea pressure distribution, and the coordinates of that unknown underwater labyrinth entrance—she drew it all.
Relying on her clearest memories, she sketched everything out exactly as it was.
Half an hour later.
Kozuki Toki took the top-secret map and walked back to the bedside, handing it to Caine with both hands.
"Now in this world, only I know the full picture. Caine, if this Pluton can help you maintain the peace of the sea, Toki is willing to offer everything!"
Caine extended two fingers and firmly gripped the parchment.
He scanned it. The route was clear, every detail was there, and even the locations of several key hidden reefs were marked.
He really wanted to grab this woman and give her a hard kiss. She was truly a top-tier asset.
"Good," Caine said solemnly as he carefully folded the priceless drawing and tucked it into the innermost pocket of his shirt.
"Don't worry, Madam. For such an extremely dangerous object, I will personally dive to the seabed, seal it completely, and keep it properly myself."
He looked directly into Kozuki Toki's eyes and gave the most solemn promise of an Admiral. "As long as I, Caine, am here, it will never fall into the hands of pirates!"
[Caine's Inner Monologue: That's right, what are pirates? This ultimate weapon that leads to the domain of the gods is destined to be controlled by me!]
After speaking, Caine rolled out of bed.
He put on a crisp white shirt over his muscular torso, meticulously fastening the buttons all the way to the top.
His straight trousers wrapped around his long legs.
Finally, he grabbed the Marine officer's coat from the wooden rack, which was printed with the word Justice.
He gave his arm a sudden flick.
The coat sliced through the air in the dim room and landed steadily on his broad shoulders.
He looked neat, lethal, and majestic.
Completely different from the madness in bed last night, he had instantly transformed back into that unattainable Admiral who held the power of life and death.
Kozuki Toki casually threw on an old garment and leaned against the bedpost, looking at him with eyes full of infatuation.
To her, this was a real man. Even the sight of his back as he got ready for business gave her a sense of security.
Caine bent down and picked up the black sword, Zangetsu, which was leaning against the wall.
He walked to the door and placed his hand on the rough bolt.
"Stay here. Take good care of Hiyori. I will handle the mess outside."
He turned his head slightly. The morning light shone through the window, outlining his cold profile.
He lowered his voice, his tone laced with a natural and invincible Haki.
This presence made Kozuki Toki blush, moved beyond words.
"It is dawn. It is time to collect the debt from the Beasts Pirates."
"Since we have already become husband and wife... then I should also go and seek justice for my poor, unfortunate dear son whom I have never met... Momonosuke!"
Hearing the words "poor, unfortunate dear son," Kozuki Toki tightly covered her mouth, and tears once again burst from her eyes.
This time, there was no despair, only the happiness of weeping for joy.
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